8/6/07. Workouts; Tue/Th training will be on this week for 7am & 9am groups at Hill Repeats and track. Also Sat Hill Repeats on 8/11 with Jason if you miss those workouts!(see below)
August is on for the regular workouts: we have much preparation to do for the Fall events! Can't slack off now.

RESULTS:
> MICHELLE WILCOX and TIM MCCARTHY ran Alameda Run for the Parks 10K for a strong tempo effort without a taper and fortunately under cool conditions. Michelle ran 43' and change to take first in her age group and Tim ran 40' and change. Tim is prepping for Portland marathon and Michelle, Nike Women's Marathon.

> JEANIE SAWAYA just did her first triathlon - a half ironman, at the Barb's Triathlon for women in 6:59:34 - for 4th in her age group. I see she can easily knock off 30 minutes-or more with improved transition times, 15' off a potty station stop that had a line, and more time in the game to improve her run and bike times. But congrats on a big first-time effort Jeannie: we're proud of you for completing the hurdle of a long triathlon.

> I don't have the details yet,but LINDA LINDSAY won her div and 3rd woman overall in the last EXTERRA race. I think this will mean she will be on the way to qualifying for the final that's held in Maui each year. These are gnarly, tough, techinal off-road triathlon courses...more to come on her racing triathlons, 24-hour events and more. Linda loves to compete and it shows in her performances....So we have some tough triathletes, with national ranking in Linda and Rosie (Andre's girlfriend)...

> more to come on results of NYC HALF MARATHON last weekend: Haile Gebrselassie ran a 59:24 over a rolling course in Central Park with 5K of 14:11 and 10K of 28:22, 15K (9.32M): 42:10, 20K (12.4M)in 56:14. He's prepping for a WR attempt at Berlin Marathon. ...

8/8/07. TUE. TEMPO. 6:30am . CHINA CAMP

8/8/07. TUE. HILL REPEATS. 9am Tenn Valley group.
Meet in Church parking lot.

8/8/07. TUE. HILL REPEATS/TEMPO. 9am Ross Common group. Head to Phoenix Lake parking lot, then:
> 4 X 30" (B/B) on dam road; then to base of Baldy;
> 2 X 1'(B/B); 1 X 1:30 (1'); 1 X 2' (1'), 1 X 2:30 (1:30), 1 X 3' (B/B). Then back to parking lot and do pickup to tennis courts at tempo pace.
> Recovery run back to Ross Common.

8/10/07. TH. TRACK 7am & 9am COM track.
4 X 100 (100)
2 X 150 (50)
Few drills with entire group, then in prep for Banana Man Chase 5K in Sept. :
TWO sets of: 800-600-400-200 (200 recoveries)

8/11/07. Sat. JASON's Workout at MCGINNIS PARK. Hill Repeats.
-S: 7:00 am @ McInnis Golf Course Parking Lot.
Easy group warm up on levees (should have some of my high school kiddos out there too).
8 to 10 x Hill Repeats on Kees' Magic 300 yard hill.
Easy group cool down on levees.

8/12/07. Sun. TCRS CORTE MADERA MARSH 3.5m club run at 9am. Put on by our Tamalpa Runners. Flat course. Meet at Village Center Shopping area in Corte Madera, in gravel parking lot at north end of the Village, north of Nordstrom's.
Run will start on bike path to levees and eventually back to start area. See TamalpaRunners.org site.

SPLiTS:
> Sandy and I had a nice break at Tahoe: great weather, water was great for swimming and I was able to ride around Lake Tahoe to celebrate my 60th B-day on Tuesday. A much tougher ride than you would think with at least 14M of uphill involved-and the altitude contributed to the workload. But I just rode it steady, enjoyed the views and the effort; all followed by a refreshing swim. Got in some reading and "hanging out" time for both of us. The time passed too quickly for those few days, but sure was worth it.

> LOOKING AHEAD to some options for joining in some races in the Fall. Some of you will like the 2007 PA/USATF XC Series beginning on 8/25/07 with the PHIL WIDENER EMPIRE OPEN 3.43M event in North Bay. Separate heats for men/women. Next one will be in GG Park in Sept. If you like running off-road terrain and not too long distances, these are your kind of races. (You'll need to have your PA/USATF card for 2007 so you help score for the Tamalpa runners)

> For my Half Marathon & Marathon runners there is the DSE DOUBLE LAKE MERCED Half Marathon on 9-9-07. It's convenient, inexpensive, not crowded and a two-lap course around Lake Merced. Will serve as a Tempo run For Michelle and Tim as they prepare for their Fall marathons; Kathleen and others to get their base in for some upcoming events.

> One FOCUS RACE for the CLUB: Let's get as many PA/USATF registered runners out for the BANANA MAN CHASE 5K in SF , by Kezar stadium on 9-16-07, put on by RhodyCo Prods.
Here's where we want all of you as Tamalpa members so you can score for the 15 or so teams we put in to the race that day: it's the 5K Championships...(See info below on Women's Racing teams).
Let's get as many out as we can for this run, have a little gathering afterwards with our group, take pictures, etc. ...I'll be doing lead biking for the race.

By JANET BOWMAN, here's an explanation on the racing teams (doesn't matter if you're slow or fast: just get our numbers out there to help field and score team points - and it's fun.

Tamalpa Women's Racing Team, WHY? - "To field Tamalpa teams in every age group to compete in local Pacific Association USATF Grand Prix races. To enjoy racing and training with fellow Tamalpans. To be motivated and inspired by like-minded Tamalpans. To enjoy camaraderie with your teammates. BENEFITS: Race entry fees for designated events paid by Tamalpa. USATF Membership paid by Tamalpa. Coaching, including track workouts and training runs; mentoring from experienced teammates. Carpool to races. Post-race social gatherings with complimentary refreshments. Your name in featured Gazette articles. QUALIFICATIONS: Be a registered Tamalpa Member. Own a Tamalpa racing uniform. Love to run and have fun! QUALIFYING TIMES: NONE. You don’t have to be a “fast” runner. Women of all ages and abilities are valued additions to the Tamalpa team effort. COMMITMENT: Run in at least six races during the year while wearing your Tamalpa uniform. COST: There is no fee to join. The entire cost of participation is paid by the Club. JOIN NOW! Contact: Janet Bowman at 924-5976, e-mail janetxx@comcast.net, or Ken Grebenstein at 927-3664, e-mail kengreb@comcast.net. for a TAMALPA WOMEN’S RACING TEAM MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION form. The form can be mailed to: Janet Bowman, 645 Chapman Drive, Corte Madera, CA 94925. QUESTIONS? Contact: Janet Bowman at 924-5976, e-mail janetxx@comcast.net, or Ken Grebenstein at 927-3664, e-mail kengreb@comcast.net. Frequently Asked Questions: What is PA-USATF Racing? - Team races exist in three yearly Grand Prix series, hosted by the Pacific Association of USA Track and Field. (PA-USATF is Northern California’s branch of the governing body for running in the US.) The three are Road, Ultra, and Cross Country. All three have age group divisions, so being older is no problem — you are only competing against others in your own age group. At first, the Tamalpa Women’s Team will concentrate on Cross Country (XC) because unlike the others, it is seasonal (all races are in September, October, and November) and because it fits Tamalpa’s traditional profile best: short, hilly trail races. We’ll also add a few of the nearby races from the Road series in the spring, but won’t attempt to field teams at every event. How many races are there? - The PA XC series comprises ten races. In 2006, the National XC Championship happens to be in San Francisco, and we have added it to our list because of its prestige, although it doesn’t count in the PA Grand Prix. Teams and individuals can score their best 5 out of the first 9 PA races, plus everyone must score the final race (the PA Championship) in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. Most of the races are in the Bay Area. In fact, one — the Johnny Lawson Tamalpa Challenge — is put on by Tamalpa and is held at China Camp. How many women are on a team for a race? - A club needs a minimum of five women for an open team, and three for each of the older age groups. If fewer runners show, the team defaults and the club scores no team points for that age group in the Grand Prix. To score for Tamalpa, a runner has to wear a Tamalpa uniform and have a current USATF card declaring her club as Tamalpa. (If you are switching from another club, you must run “unattached” for 90 days before being eligible for your new club. This discourages club-hopping.) What are these races like? - These races are very different from the familiar weekend 5K-10K road races. They are more like XC in high school or college. Almost everyone runs for a club, everyone wears a uniform, and teams start together on a very wide starting line. There are separate races for open men, master’s men, and women. Scoring is based on place, not time, so anyone in your age group you can manage to pass, no matter how far back in the pack, helps the team effort. The whole scene is very colorful, with team banners and picnics set up everywhere. The competition is tough, but the fact that you score for a team, not just for yourself, makes it feel very different — like a group endeavor. A slow runner never hurts a team — at worst, she provides insurance against a default, and at best, if she only beats another club’s slowest runner, she may be the deciding factor between her team winning or losing. Does the team travel together? - We usually arrange car pools to the XC races, providing both transportation and an excellent opportunity to get to know teammates better. The club provides a bagel picnic after many races. For 2006, our primary goal will be simply to avoid defaults by having full teams at the six races closest to Marin. Once we achieve that, we can work on building faster teams in subsequent years. Can I participate if I can’t commit to specific races, or I can’t do as many as six? - Yes. Everyone is welcome to join the team effort whenever they can. Every woman interested in racing is a valuable asset to our Open, Masters, seniors, or Super Seniors Women’s teams, even if she just runs one or two Pacific Association races a year. The only difference is that women unable to commit to the full six races must pay for their own entry fees and USATF card".


more to come.  ¶ 9:18 PM